ODDITIES AT SMITH'S COVE BEACH

Smith's Cove Beach, which is visible from out house at low tide, is a public beach. What does this mean? It means that anyone can wander down on the beach and enjoy the invigorate salty air, the quickening breezes that whiffle in through the Digby Gut, and the bright cerulean sky.

That's on a good day. There are times when the beach is under siege – pounding surf sucking the pebbles down into the depths of the sea, gouging and reshaping the beach into a newer, more contemporary form.

Usually these rather inclement days insist that no-one come down to watch Neptune's handiwork. We may go down to the sea again later, when the sculpting is finshed, but not when the master of the deep is at work.

 

Most of the time, this is a tame beach, generally maintaining its shape and form for weeks at a time.

The tide comes in and goes out at regular intervals, and leaves behind small treasures for us.

There is always a good chance of finding pieces of coloured and well worn glass which are sometimes referred to as 'mermaid's tears'. I'm not sure why they have that moniker; it is quite suitable for the clear and blue glass, but I'm not sure how it applies to the brown, green or pink glass.

There are an assortment of North Atlantic shells, with mussels predominating, various seaweeds, plenty of pebbles and cobbles, occasionally crab shells or lobster claws.

From time to time odd objects turn up on our beach. Most beaches have this trait, of course, and that's what makes beach-combing such an endearing and enduring pastime. On a recent saunter along the beach, we found the following items: a single running shoe,

a half-head of cabbage,

and a decent shovel.

We came home with the shovel, but the other items were left to fend for themselves. Doubtless they continued their travels on the next tide.

Public beaches may have a rather seedy reputation in many places, but our little beach is far from seedy. It is interesting, intriguing, physically and mentally refreshing, and it has benches where we can rest awhile an djust imbibe in the beauty of nature ... just what a good beach should be.